Sabalenka Wins Australian Open, Crowning Ideal Competition
The Minsk player has repeated as the tournament’s victor, just as her countrymate Azarenka did in 2012 and 2013
After defeating Qinwen Zheng 6-3, 6-2, in 76 minutes, Aryna Sabalenka retained her title at the Australian Open. Without dropping a set, she went on to win the championship.
Her attempt to seal the contest was the only difficulty she ran into. At 5-2 and 40-0, she dropped a forehand and missed two more. She could add a bit more tension and suspense to the conclusion if that was her desire.
The Minsk tennis player mimics her countrywoman Victoria Azarenka, who was the last to successfully defend the first major trophy in the 2012 and 2013 competitions.
“Victory, the pride of Belarus.” In his letter congratulating Azarenka on her first title victory, President Alexander Lukashenko started off this way.
“The nation expresses gratitude to you for this outstanding accomplishment, which will live on in Belarusian sports history,” the lawmaker went on. His second favorite athlete of twelve years has brought him joy once more.
Despite her achievements, Sabalenka is eager to surpass Azarenka’s record of zero major victories. After the US Open final loss to Coco Gauff, she made it to her second straight final. This hard surface bears the name of the Belarusian, if Iga Swiatek is indeed the undeniable queen of the clay.
The aspiration of Qinwen to become the next Na Li will have to wait. At just 21 years and 109 days old, she is already the seventh-ranked player, so time is on her side.
Playing as the current event champion and the overwhelming favorite based on rankings put pressure on Sabalenka. It was important to watch how the final began to see how it might affect her.
The Belarusian got off to an early 3-0 lead after breaking her opponent’s serve right away.
Zheng observed that playing against players in the lower rankings differed from playing against those in the “Top 10.” The Chinese player entered the final by utilizing the opening that had arisen. There were no players in the top 50 who had previously been on the other side of the bracket.
At 188 kilometers per hour, Sabalenka was unbeatable when serving, which boosted her self-assurance. The only person to finish a final match without losing her serve in the previous 20 years was Serena Williams in 2007. Maria Sharapova was the target of that.
